Baked Caramel Stuffed Apples

Baked Caramel Stuffed Apples are baked apples stuffed with caramel and topped with melted chocolate and cinnamon. Chocolate caramel apples are an easy fall dessert!

I’ve been making caramel apples since my oldest was small, and like Cinnamon Apple Crisp, it’s one of our favorite fall desserts. When the kids were younger, they used to chew on the caramel a little bit, and after a few futile attempts to get a bite, I would slice the apples so that they could actually taste them. 

Easy baked caramel stuffed apples are a much easier way to get your caramel apple fix and just as good — trust me.

These are basically baked apples with caramel in the middle, and they are not as messy and way less filling than traditional caramel apples.

If you love fall apple recipes, try my caramel apple dip, crescent roll apple dumplings and apple dump cake!

Ingredients

You only need a few very simple ingredients for this easy baked caramel apples recipe. You can get them in your grocery store or online.

• Granny Smith apples — These tart apples offset the sweetness
• Wrapped caramel candies — caramel squares for the caramel filling
• Semi sweet chocolate morsels — for a delicious chocolate topping
• Sea salt (optional) — Adds a salted caramel taste
• Cinnamon (optional) — adds flavor

This easy dessert comes together quickly, so I don’t brush lemon juice over the apple halves. You can certainly do this if you need to.

How to Make Baked Apples with Caramel in the Middle

First, you wash your apples. You can use your favorite apple here, but since Granny Smith apples are traditionally used to make caramel apples, that’s what we like to work with.

Next, you slice the apples down the center on a cutting board, and scoop out the middle with a melon baller or a round metal measuring spoon.

Then, place the apple halves cut side up in a shallow baking dish or on a baking sheet. No need to pour water into the dish since we’re baking apples and not steaming them.

Next, you place 1 or 2 caramel bits inside of the apples, and pop them into the preheated oven to bake.

If your apples are larger, you may be able to fit 3 to 4 caramel squares in the center of the apple. It really depends on the size of your apple.

My little guy was helping me in the kitchen today, and even he was surprised at how easy this method is.

Cook Time

Bake the stuffed apples for 15 minutes or until the apples are fork tender, and the caramel is melted.

When the caramels were melted, I added some chocolate chips and a sprinkle of cinnamon. If you know me, you know I gotta add cinnamon!

And since I love the taste of salted caramel, I added some sea salt over the melting chocolate.

And because my kids love ice cream (and I love them), I topped it all off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and just a teeny little bit more caramel.

This is optional, and a lot of times, we just eat the baked caramel apples straight out of the oven!

You can spread the chocolate over the caramel and slice the half apple into smaller pieces for easier eating if you want.

Variations

There are a few ways to customize this easy baked apple recipe.

Instead of Granny Smith apples, try Gala apples, Fuji, Jonagold, Pink Lady or honeycrisp apples.

If you can’t find wrapped caramels, you can use a thick caramel sauce or make your own caramel sauce.

Try white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips or butterscotch chips instead of semi sweet chocolate. Or, skip the chocolate layer completely.

Add a drizzle of chocolate sauce on top instead of using chocolate chips.

If you want, you can brush a little melted butter on the apple flesh before baking. And instead of just cinnamon, add a mix of cinnamon sugar for extra sweetness.

How to Store

Store any leftover stuffed apples in an airtight container in your refrigerator. You can reheat them in your microwave for a few seconds or bake them until warm.

I hope you love these delicious caramel apples as much as we do. They’re definitely one of my favorite fall desserts!

If you do make this inside-out caramel apples recipe, please comment and leave a star rating below!

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Post was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2022.